Convertible article of furniture



Nov. 16, 1943.

M. o. TALIMER 2,334,297

CONVERTIBLE ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed Sept. 8, 1941 V H Mu PatentedNov. l6, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONVERTIBLE ARTICLE OFFURNITURE Mattie 0. Talimer, Philadelphia; Pa. Application September 8,1941, Serial No. 409,985

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to an articleof furniture having anextensible and collapsible portion at the foot thereof and it relatesmore particularly to a couch having a collapsible extension at the footthereof to permit full reclining thereon.

An object of the present invention is to provide .a couch or chaiselongue or the like which can be used in several different positions andwhich will be more adaptable and comfortable than conventionalconstructions, and which will have a, wider range of use.

. With the aboveand other objects in View as will appear more fully fromthe following specification, appended claim and accompanying drawing,the present invention contemplates a couch or chaise longue which isadapted for reclining and which has a generally horizontal body portion,a raised and inclined head portion and a foot portion which can beextended where the user wishes to be in a fully-reclining position withthe feet extended and supported, and which can be collapsed where such afully-reclining position is not desired.

or the purpose of illustrating the inventic-i there is shown in theaccompanying drawin'; me form thereof which is at present prefeiud,since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory andreliable results, although it is to be understood that the variousinstrumentalities of which the invention consistscan be variouslyarranged and organized and that the invention is not limited to theprecise arrangements and organizations of the instrumentalities asherein shown and described.

Referring to the accompanying drawing in which like reference charactersindicate like parts throughout:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of one embodiment of the presentinvention as it appears in use, showing the foot portion thereof inextended position.

Figure 2 represents a fragmentary perspective view of the embodimentshown in Figure 1 but showing the foot portion in collapsed or retractedposition-parts being broken away better to reveal the constructionthereof.

Figure 3 represents a fragmentary side elevational view lookinggenerally in the direction of the arrows 33 in Figure l.

Figure 4 represents -a side elevational view looking generally in thedirection of the arrows 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 represents a perspective view showing the folding diagonalmember I!) in a position intermediate to those shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Figure 6 represents a fragmentary perspective view similar to that ofFigure 5 but showing a modified locking construction.

In one embodiment of my present invention shown in Figures 1 to 4inclusive, I may provide a couch or chaise longue which is indicatedgenerally by the numeral l0. having a generally horizontal body portionII and an upwardly inclined head portion l2. Said couch may be providedwith a pair of legs l3 at the head thereof'and a pair of legs I4 at thefoot thereof.

While in the drawing, the body portion II is shown as being generallyhorizontal, said body portion ll could be made with a slight downwardincline toward the foot thereof in which case the legs l4 would be madesomewhat shorter than the legs l3.

At the lower end of the body portion l I, I may provide a foot portiondesignated generally by the numeral I 5. Said foot portion [5 includes agenerally fiat panel l6 which is hingedly connected to the edge ll ofsaid body portion H, as for example, by means of the hinges l8.

Said panel I6 is adapted to be extended and swung up into generally thesame plane as the body portion II and to be retained in such extendedposition by a folding diagonal member I9 at each end thereof.

Said member i9 includes a pierced bracket 20 affixed to the underside ofsaid panel l6 and a pierced bracket 2| afiixed to the leg l4.

A lever arm 22 is pivotally connected at one end thereof to the piercedbracket 20 by means of a bolt 23. Another lever arm 24 is pivotallyconnected at one end thereof to said pierced bracket 2| by means of abolt 25.

Said lever arms 22 and 24 are pivotally connected together as shown at26 to provide an overlapping portion 21 upon the lever arm 22 and anoverlapping portion 28 on the lever arm 24.

Upon the upper edge of the end of the overlapping portion 2'! of thelever arm 22, I may provide a transverse projection or shoulder 29 whichextends in the direction of the lever arm 24 and which will contact theupper edge of said lever arm 24 when the arms 22 and 24 extend generallyin the same line.

Thus, the projection 29 striking against the upper edge of the lever arm24 looks the arms 22 and 24 in a position in which they are generally inthe same line.

When the foot portion I5 is in its extended position as shown in Figures1 and 3, the lever arms 22 and 24 are in generally the same line and are7 locked against rotation such as would move the pivotal connection 26downward. Thus, the panel I8 is held firmly in its generally horizontalposition to provide a firm and dependable foot rest for the couch.

When it is desired to move the foot portion l into its collapsed orretracted position, the pivotal connection 28 is merely pushed upward sothat the lever arms 22 and 24 rotate thereabout as shown in Figure 5,thus permitting the panel IE to swing downward upon the hinges l8 untilit assumes a generally vertical position enclosing said lever arms 22and 24 and forming a neat and attractive foot-board for the couch.

Instead of the locking projection.29 shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, I mayprovide the modified locking construction shown in Figure 6 in which theoverlapping portion 2'Ia of the lever arm 22a has a knob 30 extendinggenerally from the center portion thereof (instead of from the upperedge as shown in Figure 5) in the direction of the lever arm 24-11. Saidlever arm 24-41 is provided with a slot or recess 3| into which saidknob 30 is adapted to fit when said lever arms 22a and 24-a come intoline with each other, thus locking said lever arms 22a and 24-41 inalignment.

Said couch l0 may be suitably upholstered and may be covered withleather or ornamental and decorative material although my presentinvention is not limited in these respects. The panel l6 may be of wood,as, for example, /;-inch ply-board or may be of metal suitably enameled,or said panel 15 may be covered with leather or it may be upholstered.

Said couch l0 may be provided with a skirt portion 32 which serves toconceal the legs and underside of the couch.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it istherefore desired that the present embodiment 'be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to theappended claim rather than to the foregoing description to indicate thescope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is hereby claimed as new anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

A convertible couch or the like including an elongated upholstered bodyportion supported above floor-level by a plurality of legs, an upwardlyinclined upholstered head portion extending generally integrally andimmovably from one end of said elongated body portion, said elongatedbody portion having a length suflicient to accommodate the extended legsof the user when said user is in a sitting position but having a lengthinsufilcient to accommodate the extended legs of the user when said useris in a reclining position, a separate panel hingedly mounted at theother end of said elongated body portion and fully supported thereby,said panel being adapted to assume a generally horizontal positiongenerally in the same plane as the body portion whereby it serves as afootrest for the user when said user is in a reclining position andbeing adapted to assume a generally vertical position closely adjacentthe end of said body portion whereby it serves as an end wall for saidcouch, and a col-- lapsible diagonal supporting member for said panel,said supporting member being adapted to lock said panel in. itshorizontal position, and being in part covered by said panel in itsvertical position, said supporting member comprising a pair of hingedlyoverlapped lever arms and means for interlocking the overlapped portionsthereby to maintain said lever arms in generally parallel position.

MATTIE O. TALIMER.

